Betty Boothroyd, the former Speaker of the House of Commons, took her seat in the House of Lords as a cross-bencher on Tuesday.

At a short ceremony at 2.30pm she took her seat in the Lords where she became the Rt Hon Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell. The former speaker had expressed a wish to be known by a title which included her Christian name but this went against the rules.

Boothroyd was the MP for West Bromwich West, from 1974 until resigning the seat last year.

Adrian Bailey took the seat after winning the by-election for Labour.